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Should I pick S1 or M2?
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M2, easy choice!
If you want to play it reasonably safe, I think you should go for S1. I'm probably wrong here but isn't the stuff you learn in mechanics manageable/understandable, but the exams can be pretty horrendous and you can either get high or low easily?
You may say that M2 is more useful/interesting and better but if you want to learn them, you can always self teach, can't you? =]
Your end maths A-level is not going to appear more "superior" than others by doing both mechanics and who knows, statistics might surprisingly be quite useful in future work (despite of its given image of being "useless"). =]
Just my two cents.
You may say that M2 is more useful/interesting and better but if you want to learn them, you can always self teach, can't you? =]
Your end maths A-level is not going to appear more "superior" than others by doing both mechanics and who knows, statistics might surprisingly be quite useful in future work (despite of its given image of being "useless"). =]
Just my two cents.
S1 is very easy but boring whilst M2 is more "fun" but harder.
It depends if you don't mind being bored if you get a better result. I would pick S1 though because M2 is much, much harder.
It depends if you don't mind being bored if you get a better result. I would pick S1 though because M2 is much, much harder.
Xanyi
I only sat the paper under mock conditions, a couple of days before sitting the Jan '10 paper. But I got 37/72! It was awful.
Jan '10 (I edited my post as I didn't mean '09 - though I have done that paper too as revision) was much more straightforward, I was incredibly relieved. Now to wait for the results in March!
Good luck on M3, I'm sitting it in June :]
Jan '10 (I edited my post as I didn't mean '09 - though I have done that paper too as revision) was much more straightforward, I was incredibly relieved. Now to wait for the results in March!
Good luck on M3, I'm sitting it in June :]
Oh right!
Yeah it was a really tough paper.
Bit mean for a mock - but then again, really mean for the real thing too!
Haha, I actually read it as Jan '10 in my head anyway
Glad the real thing went well!
S1 is quite safe I think, if you want the marks, but as people have said it only takes a tiny mistake and whole questions can go upside down. Equally if you're not a fan of wordy questions and the like it's not a good idea as you'll have to explain trends and stuff.
M2 I haven't taken the exam for yet, but we recently finished covering the material and as far as I can see it is mostly just a stepped up version of M1 - you barely learn anything 'new', it's more like more difficult versions of M1. Not to say it's easy, but it's more building on what you know so far.
Basically depends on what you're best at though - I was happy to give up stats after S1 last year and am choosing M3 over S2, but I know plenty of people who would much rather have it the other way round. Personal preference really.
M2 I haven't taken the exam for yet, but we recently finished covering the material and as far as I can see it is mostly just a stepped up version of M1 - you barely learn anything 'new', it's more like more difficult versions of M1. Not to say it's easy, but it's more building on what you know so far.
Basically depends on what you're best at though - I was happy to give up stats after S1 last year and am choosing M3 over S2, but I know plenty of people who would much rather have it the other way round. Personal preference really.
humz2
S1 if you work and 'get it'.....u need to fork out for an expensive statistics calculator that actually looks like a cheap AA battery made-in-china tetris game pad
Actually a Casio fx-83ES will do - available for £6.99 from WhSmiths or Staples. That's not expensive at all (!) yet you will need it for Stats (the natural display tables will make S1 20x easier). Come to think of it - it's the perfect calculator for all of A level maths so you should have one anyway!
As for my opinion. S1. Stats is interesting provided you get into it and learn the application of the stuff. Don't think of stats as a bunch of formulae that you shouldn't bother learning proofs for but a toolset for analysing data. Then it becomes slightly more interesting (although you still won't need the proofs!)
Longorefisher
Actually a Casio fx-83ES will do - available for £6.99 from WhSmiths or Staples. That's not expensive at all (!) yet you will need it for Stats (the natural display tables will make S1 20x easier). Come to think of it - it's the perfect calculator for all of A level maths so you should have one anyway!
As for my opinion. S1. Stats is interesting provided you get into it and learn the application of the stuff. Don't think of stats as a bunch of formulae that you shouldn't bother learning proofs for but a toolset for analysing data. Then it becomes slightly more interesting (although you still won't need the proofs!)
As for my opinion. S1. Stats is interesting provided you get into it and learn the application of the stuff. Don't think of stats as a bunch of formulae that you shouldn't bother learning proofs for but a toolset for analysing data. Then it becomes slightly more interesting (although you still won't need the proofs!)
Show off
For my Course we've done M1 & S1 and I think it's a good idea, as although there's a lot of useless rubbish in stats, it's an AS module which has to b e easier right?
whatever you do, DO NOT DO M2!!!!!!...*has a nervous breakdown*
*cough cough* k sorry, i feel better now.
But seriously, i am doing M2 on friday and i am about to freak out completely and utterly, because i cant do more then half the paper.
Last year i did S1 and M1 and in both i got high A (with practically no revision for S1 and spent more than a week trying to understand M1) but nevertheless, i did alright. Now i sat S2 last tuesday and i am sitting M2 on friday, S2 was probably easier than S1, but M2 is the hardest module i have done so far in maths (and i have done C1, C2, C3, C4 and FP1).
but the biggest problem for me with M2 is that its very...um...physicsy! are you doing A-level physics? if yes then you might not find it as hard, but part of M2 is all abt kinetic energy, potential energy and work done. thats the part that i struggle with the most. I find the whole module not very mathy, but very physicsy and its all about understanding the forces.
in contrast, S1 is very easy, although you need to understand probability but to be honest its not as boring as it appears. and its easy to get a high score. Also for S1 you dont need to remember many formulas (maybe one or two), but for M2 you need to remember quite a few.
But honestly i think you should go for S1, because it will provide you with a taste of a different field of applied maths (and your A-level in maths wont look worse if you do S1, rather than M2) and it will be easier for you to get a higher grade, because Mechanics exams are very hard, so you can concentrate on your other A levels as well.
but if you still cant decide, try lookin at the specifications for M2 and S1, to see which you think you will do better in.
Good luck!
ps anybody got good advice for M2? like a useful website or a way to understand it? thank you ^^
*cough cough* k sorry, i feel better now.
But seriously, i am doing M2 on friday and i am about to freak out completely and utterly, because i cant do more then half the paper.
Last year i did S1 and M1 and in both i got high A (with practically no revision for S1 and spent more than a week trying to understand M1) but nevertheless, i did alright. Now i sat S2 last tuesday and i am sitting M2 on friday, S2 was probably easier than S1, but M2 is the hardest module i have done so far in maths (and i have done C1, C2, C3, C4 and FP1).
but the biggest problem for me with M2 is that its very...um...physicsy! are you doing A-level physics? if yes then you might not find it as hard, but part of M2 is all abt kinetic energy, potential energy and work done. thats the part that i struggle with the most. I find the whole module not very mathy, but very physicsy and its all about understanding the forces.
in contrast, S1 is very easy, although you need to understand probability but to be honest its not as boring as it appears. and its easy to get a high score. Also for S1 you dont need to remember many formulas (maybe one or two), but for M2 you need to remember quite a few.
But honestly i think you should go for S1, because it will provide you with a taste of a different field of applied maths (and your A-level in maths wont look worse if you do S1, rather than M2) and it will be easier for you to get a higher grade, because Mechanics exams are very hard, so you can concentrate on your other A levels as well.
but if you still cant decide, try lookin at the specifications for M2 and S1, to see which you think you will do better in.
Good luck!
ps anybody got good advice for M2? like a useful website or a way to understand it? thank you ^^
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